Mr Dax's grieving family was aware he had had a troubled past but had no idea of his violent relationship with his "slave", Henry Rose, until Mr Rose went on trial in the Supreme Court for Mr Dax's murder.

Mr Rose, 59, claimed he was acting in self defence when he fatally stabbed Mr Dax during an argument in the kitchen of the couple's Caulfield home in January 2015.

The couple had been in a master/slave relationship for more than 28 years.

A Supreme Court jury on Thursday found him not guilty of murder and the lesser charge of manslaughter.

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Mr Dax, 46, who had changed his name by deed poll from Andrew Barratt, affectionately called Mr Rose his husband and he had a painting hanging on his bedroom wall which said, "Henry is my slave".

But Mr Dax had a secret dark side where, according to defence barrister Geoffrey Steward, he became a monster after drinking too much red wine and would turn on Mr Rose.

Mr Dax, who had been studying fine arts and sculpture at RMIT University, had moved into Mr Rose's home in 2013 after Mr Rose's elderly parents died.

Next door neighbour Richard Zimmerman told the court of an alarming incident in October 2013 where he saw Mr Rose standing naked at the window screaming for help.

"I could hear Drew yelling at Henry saying, 'No one can hear you. It's no use. No one can hear you'.'' Mr Zimmerman said.

Deciding to call triple-0, Mr Zimmerman could see Drew was sort of leaning over Mr Rose yelling at him, "No one will listen to you, you little faggot. You're nothing. I can do what I like. No one can hear you."

Recalling another incident in April 2014, Mr Zimmerman said Mr Dax was screaming at Mr Rose and smashing up the house.

"I saw things in the room that concerned me, so it made me want to call the police again. I was feeling very fearful. I could hear [Mr Dax] yelling, 'And what about this and what about that?' [as things were being smashed]."

Mr Zimmerman said the blinds were open and he could see some furniture upturned on the floor and what appeared to be blood smeared on the wall.

Mr Rose was pleading, "Stop. Please stop."

"I feared for his [Mr Rose's] life", Mr Zimmerman, who again called triple-0, said.

Giving evidence during Mr Rose's trial, John Barratt told how Mr Dax had written a letter when he was 13 years old telling his parents he was gay.

Mr Barratt said his son, who spent six months as a voluntary patient in the Parkville psychiatric unit when he was 15 before recovering, went on to complete his VCE at Essendon High School and became a tram conductor.

Mr Barratt admitted his relationship with his son, who went to on become the assistant curator at the gallery Chapel on Chapel, had been volatile and they had not seen each other since October 2013 after a falling out.

"He had many demons ... and quite often we would have to be walking on eggshells. We'd just never know when there'd be an outburst," Mr Barratt said.

When Fairfax Media visited Mr Rose's North Caulfield house on Friday, the tall metal gate was locked and roller shutters on the windows shut tight — suggesting either an occupant who likes his privacy, or an unoccupied home.

"I don't think he's in there," a neighbour said. "He's got family all over the place"

But Mr Rose's lawn and rose-filled garden seemed well maintained and someone had obviously been collecting his mail.

Another local described Mr Rose as a recluse.

"No one here knows him. They only know the parents, see. It's the parents' house.

"They were big members of the community. Here, everyone knows everyone."

Mr Barratt told the jury he and his wife had taken comfort in knowing their son in 2013 had moved in with Mr Rose, who they had known for close to 30 years.

"We thought at that time it'd be a win-win situation," Mr Barratt said. "They'd both be safe. So we thought it was good. Good decision."